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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
The “Can’t leave anything alone” Thread
- Thread starter Sharp & Fiery
- Start date
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These are nowhere near the pocket jewellery shown here so far but...
This was a $9 2nd hand SAK Spartan which I cleaned up and reduced to a single layer:
now with surplus wood scales which are older than I am (40 years old):
Until yesterday this below was a standard SAK Explorer which is now reduced to 3 layers with a very custom setup (still waiting for new scales for this one hence reusing same placeholder ones as above):
This one below was the usual Queen Cutlery pry bar until I sent it to @Jason B. who turned it into a scalpel:
This one below has had a lot of work, it's the forum 2018 knife from Buck. I had Jason regrind the blades to give 0.015" BTE. I then gently rounded off the sharp corners on the bolsters and spines of the blades, used potassium permanganate to burn in the Elk covers (both to make the sides match and for effect) followed by polish and buff. I had to carefully work the main blade in a vice to give it a proper snap, it had been super lazy prior to that.
After regrind:
After PP burn in of Elk and polish:
This was a $9 2nd hand SAK Spartan which I cleaned up and reduced to a single layer:
now with surplus wood scales which are older than I am (40 years old):
Until yesterday this below was a standard SAK Explorer which is now reduced to 3 layers with a very custom setup (still waiting for new scales for this one hence reusing same placeholder ones as above):
This one below was the usual Queen Cutlery pry bar until I sent it to @Jason B. who turned it into a scalpel:
This one below has had a lot of work, it's the forum 2018 knife from Buck. I had Jason regrind the blades to give 0.015" BTE. I then gently rounded off the sharp corners on the bolsters and spines of the blades, used potassium permanganate to burn in the Elk covers (both to make the sides match and for effect) followed by polish and buff. I had to carefully work the main blade in a vice to give it a proper snap, it had been super lazy prior to that.
After regrind:
After PP burn in of Elk and polish:
ChazzyP
Platinum Member
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- Dec 27, 2014
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- 8,080
I like modded production knives--modding individualizes and personalizes them, and it's nice having something either rare or unique. I have quite a few ranging from small hardware changes, through aftermarket scales and anodizing, up through an awesome REK re-grind (yes, Josh deserves all the props he can get!).
Here's my newest acquisition, perhaps the ultimate mod--a knife so altered that only the guts and some of the hardware from the original remain--an all-Wilkins Griptilian. This one started out as a 551BKOD and now has Kevin's S30V replacement blade, aluminum hard-coat anodized scales, and deep-carry clip. I can claim no credit for these mods other than purchasing the knife as you see it off the Exchange a couple weeks back. I did re-profile it, though, to a wicked sharp and polished 16 DPS.
I love Grips, but abhor the stock plastic scales, so the only one of my other six that remains factory is the 551-1702 KW exclusive. I'll dig through the picture files for those and other mods and post more later. Cool thread,
Sharp & Fiery
! I'll check out those others linked by @WValtakis too. Here's the Wilkins Grip....
Here's my newest acquisition, perhaps the ultimate mod--a knife so altered that only the guts and some of the hardware from the original remain--an all-Wilkins Griptilian. This one started out as a 551BKOD and now has Kevin's S30V replacement blade, aluminum hard-coat anodized scales, and deep-carry clip. I can claim no credit for these mods other than purchasing the knife as you see it off the Exchange a couple weeks back. I did re-profile it, though, to a wicked sharp and polished 16 DPS.
I love Grips, but abhor the stock plastic scales, so the only one of my other six that remains factory is the 551-1702 KW exclusive. I'll dig through the picture files for those and other mods and post more later. Cool thread,
Sharp & Fiery
! I'll check out those others linked by @WValtakis too. Here's the Wilkins Grip....
- Joined
- May 14, 2012
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Thank you. They turned out amazingly.
Dogdrawz
Excellent. Always fun to mod!
Pomsbz
I love slippies, and those all look great! Custimizing SAK’s is appealing to me...great job!
ChazzyP
100% agree, Josh is a talented man. When i can come to him with my idea, and my extreme perfectionist character, and we just seem to be on the same wavelength, that is a valuable modder/maker. Also, the time he takes to discuss the project to make it exceptional is a testament to Josh’s character.
I also agree, the griptillian handles arent for me...had the mini grip and just couldnt get myself to even like the handles. But...that wilkins...wow. I like it. The handle scales are amazing. They look straigher than stock griptillian scales. Is this true?
Thanks again to everyone who had participated in this thread, and those who have just read it.
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ChazzyP
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Josh was sooo patient and helpful while I hemmed and hawed my way through what I wanted done to my RHK XM24 Spanto. I ended up with a light saber after sending him a sharpened pry-bar and am still a bit scared of the edge he put on the large radius hollow grind he did for me. I'll find some pics and post that in a bit.
As far as the Wilkins Grips go, you are correct that they're straighter as well as broader and thicker. They totally change the ergos of the knife. I don't mind the shape of the original grips on the full size, but hate the material and the plastic jimping molded into the scales is really uncomfortable to me. The original shape on the mini-Grips I find difficult to hold on to. I really like Kevin Wilkins, his work, and his business model and am happy to have two other sets of his scales on my large and small Ritters. Here's my two Rittilkins in coarse G10 with blood red backspacers.
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ChazzyP
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I totally agree with you, I tend to dislike all plastic scales more as time moves on (despite g10 being nearly indestructible)... good thing aluminum, Ti and wood exist
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ChazzyP
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Sigsog226
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Beautiful stuff! Mod threads are always some of my favorites. Don't have too many modded ones right now, just a few pm2's with a couple things added to them, and the scales switched around.
View attachment 1138071 View attachment 1138073 View attachment 1138074they look better in person(lighting is no good for pics in the house)
View attachment 1138071 View attachment 1138073 View attachment 1138074they look better in person(lighting is no good for pics in the house)
I've had interest in trying mods off and on as I enjoy the time spent trying it. I've only really played with custom scales, just to try. I'd done three other knives awhile back and just tried three more, some Real Steel knives. Each of them in stock form had just plain, flat scales. I just use hand files and a Dremel, so certainly not the most efficient or precise. Fitting the G10 insert in the carbon fiber by hand was a first that I wanted to try just to see if I could do it, but definitely quite time consuming. I was surprised I eventually got it to fit with no gaps that I can see from the front/outside, and I beveled the the sides of the hole and inset to hold it in place with no epoxy. Each has it's flaws in my eyes and are still budget level knives, but, hopefully I'll learn enough to at least develop some better techniques. Mainly just about enjoying the time I spend on them.
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You can defintely run that risk when getting into mods...but for me thats the trade off for being able to exercise my creative side. I build and create a lot of things, and it makes
me feel like ive accomplished something. Its very satisfying. Especially when the finished product turns out how i wanted it to. I love working with other people as well, creating a thing of beauty together. And the friendships ive made while modding are worth it to me. Thats the way i see the money spent/lost. We cant take it with us when we go. But i can totally see your point.
